Hair Follicle transplant

Hair transplant surgery is done in two ways; strip harvest and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). The strip method involves removal of a strip of hair from an area of good hair growth and dissecting it into smaller units. These units are then planted on the bald patch on the scalp. The FUE method is more technical since it involves extraction of individual hair follicles from a good hair growth patch and then these follicles are planted on the bald patch one by one. The most popular form of hair transplant is FUE since it produces great results and an everlasting relief from baldness. There are many non surgical methods of hair restoration but the most result yielding is hair transplanting since it is a one-time hassle and does not require any long term maintenance. The various non-surgical methods involve taking medicines and applying lotions and oils, but hair transplant is only a single process and does not need any permanent routine to follow. FUE method is done everywhere in the world but not all surgeons can perform this kind of hair transplant. It requires a good observation of natural hair growth pattern and the direction of hair. While plantation of the follicles, the pattern is essential since it determines the final look of the transplanted hair. In case the pattern of hair growth is not followed, the newly planted hair will look different from the rest of the head and this will be unpleasant to look at. The FUE method does not leave any scar, like the strip method always leaves a scar from where the strip is removed. The hair follicles are individually extracted and planted due to which there is no cut or stitch to cause scarring. The FUE transplant costs much more than strip method due to the amount of work and care needed for it. In case a person has gotten a large bald patch and needs full coverage, the FUE method is the only one that can produce natural results. The older methods of hair transplant looked unnatural and caused a strange look which was sometimes even more unpleasant than bald patches. Many hair follicles appeared to grow out of a single opening, causing it to look like ‘doll’s hair’. This was very undesirable and created a poor look. Some hair transplant methods also caused bumps and tufts to form on the scalp, not giving a smooth look and therefore they were not very popular. However, with time everything has evolved and hair transplant surgery has become so specialized that even a hair stylist cannot tel if a person has gotten hair surgery. The surgeon has a major part to play in the FUE hair transplant. This is because it is the surgeon who places the hair in a way that they look natural. Good surgeons use an optimal number of hair follicles to fill up the bald patch. Many times, surgeons extract hair follicles and then during the process of making incisions on the bald patch, the follicles may lose their viability, or maybe they are extracted poorly and cannot be planted again. A good surgeon’s expertise comes in use and he takes out the hair follicles with care so that none of them are wasted and all of them get planted.